


The Flower that Bloomed that Day

by Wandiwoo



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angst, Blood, Comfort, Depression, Fluff, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Nightmares, Older Gladiolus Amicitia, Older Ignis Scientia, Older Prompto Argentum, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reincarnation, Young Noctis Lucis Caelum, he's like ten now, the world of ruin never happened
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-01 01:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14509413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wandiwoo/pseuds/Wandiwoo
Summary: It's been ten years since Noctis ascended the throne, and Prompto was slowly but surely moving on.That is, until he heard a soft knock at his door.





	1. Those Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Okay before we start, I just wanna say that for the sake of this AU, the World of Ruin never happened, and Noctis ascended the throne when he was still 20. It might make things a bit confusing but it'll be easier for me to write so I hope ya'll understand. Hope you guys enjoy, this is gonna be an emotional roller coaster for sure...

_ Prompto, Gladio, Ignis… _

_ I leave it to you.  _

_ Walk tall… my friends. _

_ The time has come. _  
  


 

Those words were the last thing Prompto heard his best friend say. The last thing he heard before he watched his friend walk to his inevitable death. It hurt, he almost couldn’t bring himself to watch him go. But he had to. It was his duty. It was his job to serve the crown, and yet…

That duty is now gone, along with the one person who made his life better.

But he never let it get to him. He stayed strong, for his friend’s sakes, along with his own. After all, he had a kingdom to rebuild. Things really changed over the course of ten years, and he was grateful it was for the better. Insomnia was almost the exact way it was before it got attacked, and already bustling with people and life.

Well, like he said, almost the same. After all, the crown city had still lost it’s jewel. 

Prompto groaned, throwing his pillow off his face and raising himself off the bed, taking a moment to stop his head from spinning. With daemons being a thing of the past, Prompto’s life was fairly normal. While he still had duties over at the citadel to deal with, he usually spent his days out offering his help to the people who needed it most. Other than that, he spent his time at home, either resting or thinking about his life.

And when he did, he hated it. It was too much like how it was before he became friends with Noctis. He hated it, he didn’t like living like this again. That was partially the reason he kept himself busy, why he made sure he couldn’t think about him. Cause when he did, it hurts. It hurts more than anything else, knowing his best friend is gone, roped into some stupid destiny that Prompto hated with every fiber of his being.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything he needed to be doing today. Ignis had said nothing required his assistance at the citadel when Prompto called in, and no one had asked for his help around the city. He sighed, finally getting up and walking out of his bedroom, into the living room of his home. It was quite cozy he had to admit, not as small as his home growing up but still not too big to feel empty. Though, he still often felt lonely at times. 

He flipped on the TV, going over and finding him a glass of something to drink. He often didn’t eat at home, since he’s always come back too late in the night anyways, so he didn’t have much. He settled on drinking the last of the milk he had in the jug, tossing it into the recycling bin once he poured the rest out. He walked back to the couch, plopping down and watching the latest news on Insomnia’s development. It was going on about how many new businesses have opened up, how much the community has developed, all that jazz.

Prompto was only half paying attention anyways. He sipped on his milk, eyes unfocused as he stared at the screen. He often found himself dissociating like this, trying so hard not to think about the pain that he doesn’t think about anything at all. He just stares into space, vision a bit blurry and mind blank. 

He was shocked out of his state of disassociation when he heard a small knock on his front door. He almost didn’t hear it, it was so quiet, but he sighed and set his half empty glass down, standing up and striding to the door. He was a bit grumpy, to say the least, and he didn’t feel like dealing with solicitors. He opened the door, about to tell whoever it was to go away, but the words got caught in his throat, eyes glued in shock to what he saw below him.

Those eyes… he’d know those eyes anywhere. Those soft, silverish blue eyes. It were those same eyes he saw full of sadness all those years ago. They stared up at him, full of curiosity and wonder, something that he almost didn’t recognize. His mouth was left agape, still staring at the small child that had his best friend’s eyes. Not only that, but also his hair, and his face too. Why did this kid look exactly like  _ him _ ?!-

“Um,” The boy spoke, shocking Prompto out of his stupor. Fuck, he sounded exactly like him too, when he was younger. “Are you… Prompto?”

Prompto thought his eyes couldn’t get any wider, but they did. He probably looked like a weirdo to most, but the kid just stared at him back. There was no way, it can’t be him. He died, and there’s no coming back once your dead, right? Right?!

“U-Uh,” Prompto strained, mentally kicking himself for sounding so shaken. “Yeah I’m… I’m Prompto.”

The boy smiles, and holy fuck it looked exactly like his- “Oh good! I was afraid I got the wrong address…” The boy ponders, looking down at his hands, which Prompto had just noticed he was holding a letter. “I was suppose to give this to you, the lady told me to.”

When the boy held the letter to him, he almost ripped it out of his hands, scrambling to open it. There’s no way this was him. It was just a coincidence. There’s absolutely no way. He practically ripped the letter open, opening it to read it’s contents. He almost growled at the uninformative words.

_ Please take care of this child. _

It didn’t say who it was from, or where it came from for that matter. Why in the world was someone throwing this kid onto him, and why him for that matter. And why the hell did this kid look exactly like Noctis?! Prompto lowered the letter, staring at the boy once again. 

He shifted uncomfortably, hands behind his back as he watched Prompto with unwavering curiosity. It took Prompto a moment to realize they’d been standing there for a while, and he still hadn’t let the kid inside. “Do you uh… wanna come inside?”

The boy nodded, walking into the small house when Prompto opened the door more for him. He looked around, eyes scanning the room with wonder. His eyes landed on the TV, walking over to the couch and jumping to sit up on the cushions. Prompto slowly walked behind the couch, still unbelieving that this was happening. He waited a moment, before finally speaking again. “Are you uh… hungry or something?”

The boy thought for a moment, looking up at him with those damn blue eyes. “Do you have any snacks?”

“Uhh, yeah I should. Give me a sec,” He rushed off to the kitchen faster than he should have. He rummaged through the cabinets, sighing with relief as he found a box of gummies he bought a while back. They were still good, so he brought two of them to the kid, watching as he took them from his hand and started to open them, eyes glued back to the screen. 

“Um, do you wanna watch something else?” Prompto offered, while he was still freaked out over this whole thing, he still made sure the kid was comfortable before anything. He was caring, in that sort of way. The kids around town always did seem so like him the most.

“Hmm… yeah I guess,” The boy mumbled, popping another colorful gummy into his mouth. Prompto grabbed the remote, flipping through a few of the channels meant for kids. He was a bit ashamed to admit he was still a bit fond of some of them, despite just going into his thirties. But he couldn’t help it, those cute little moogles on the TV were too cute not to watch. He found a channel the boy seemed to enjoy, then shuffled out back to the kitchen, making sure the boy couldn’t hear him before pulling his phone out.

There were only a few contacts on there, so it didn’t take him long to find the one he was looking for, trying to calm his heavy breath as he waited for the number to pick up. He almost always did anyways, so he wasn’t concerned about that.

It took a moment before he finally heard the click on the other line. “Hello?”

“U-Uh, hey Iggy…” Prompto mumbled out, voice still shaking.

“Prompto? What’s the matter? You sound shaken up,” Ignis’ concerned voice floated through, making Prompto let out an involuntary laugh.

“Ignis, I seriously think I’m going crazy,” Prompto started, running a hand through his hair. “Can you come over, like, soon? I need to make sure I’m not off my rockers about this.”

“Well, I’m currently busy at the moment, so it might take me a few hours until I can head that way,” Ignis said thoughtfully. “What’s the matter though? You usually never call for me to help you.”

“It’s just…” Prompto, glanced around the corner, watching the boy eat his second pack of candies, happily watching the TV screen. He let out a long sigh, turning back to the window. “A kid came to my house just now.”

“Um, I’m not sure why that requires my-”

“It’s not just any kid, Ignis. He…” Prompto almost couldn’t say it, taking a shaky breath before he mumbled, “He looks exactly like N-Noct.”

Ignis never responded, so Prompto continued. “And I’m not just talking like he has his hairstyle or something like that, no he actually looks exactly like him. His face, his body, his  _ eyes _ -” Prompto choked on his words, holding a hand to his mouth as a few tears finally slipped. 

“Prompto…” Ignis mumbled, almost as if he was at a loss for words. “...are you positive he looks like him?”

“Yes Ignis, otherwise I wouldn’t be calling you in the first place,” Prompto tried not to sound hostile, but it was hard when a kid who made him want to cry just by looking at him was sitting about ten feet away from him.

“Alright, alright,” Ignis said finally after a bit. “I’ll try to get this done quickly. Just… don’t try and scare him okay?”

“I… I’ll try,” Prompto’s voice cracked, a few more tears slipping out as he said his goodbyes to Ignis. He set his phone down, resting his head on the counter as he waited for the tears to stop. He hasn’t cried over Noctis in years, he tried so hard not to. And yet, with the sudden appearance of this boy, he couldn’t contain them anymore. 

He had no idea how loud he was being, until he felt a small hand rest oh his shoulder. He lifted his head up, staring with teary eyes at the small boy. He looked worried, sad that Prompto was like this. He kept his hand on the man’s shoulder, not sure how else to comfort him it seemed. 

“What’s wrong mister?” He finally said, rubbing Prompto’s back with his hand slowly. “Why are you crying..?”

“I-I…” Prompto tried so hard not to cry, but the longer he looked at him, the longer he looked at those  _ eyes _ , it was finally too much. He fell to his knees, shuffling around to grip onto the front of the boy’s jacket, burying his face into the soft material. He even smelled like him, Prompto thought, more sobs being choked out of his throat. 

He tensed a bit when the boy wrapped his arms around his shoulders, trying his best to comfort the blonde. He almost felt stupid, having to be comforted by a child like this. But he didn’t care. He didn’t care anymore. He let out a few more pitiful sobs, trying not to get louder as the boy ran a comforting hand over his hair.

This boy… as much as he didn’t want to believe, was exactly like Noctis, in every little way. The way he looked, the way he smelled, the way he smiled, it was all exactly like him. Prompto didn’t know how this was even possible, but as he cried, the cool feeling of relief washing over him after these long years.

It didn’t seem possible, but for whatever reason, he had gotten his best friend back. 

And now, he was never going to let him go again. 


	2. That Voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF this was originally gonna be a bit longer, but honestly? Didn't know how to write out the scene. I hope you enjoy regardless.

Ignis squeezed his hands together, trying not to look as worried as he felt. He couldn’t jump to conclusions, not yet. After all, it was too good to be true. After everything they’ve been through, everything they’ve done up to this point, it was too good. He couldn’t have returned. It wasn’t possible. 

His mind thought back to his conversation with Gladiolus before they had left for Prompto’s, the sheer disbelief on the older man’s face when Ignis relayed what Prompto had told him. I mean, who would blame him? Were they to believe Noctis was somehow alive, as a kid no less, and managed to find himself at Prompto’s doorstep? It was crazy to think, even crazier to believe. 

“So you’re telling me,” Gladio started, crossing his arms. “That Noct is alive again.”

“I’m not trying to jump to conclusions,” Ignis retorted. “Though from the way Prompto sounded he seemed very on edge.”

“Yeah well, he always did have trouble moving on. Do you think he’s just being delusional?” Gladio huffed.

“It’s a possibility,” Ignis sighed. Prompto did have the most trouble moving on after what happened. While all of them did, the blonde seemed to have grieved the most, almost becoming a completely different person then what Ignis knew him for. It took him a long time for him to go back to his cheery persona, even then it wasn’t the same. Nothing was the same for him without his best friend, as it were. “But I still told him I’d meet him, perhaps give him a bit of solace.”

“Are you wanting me to go with you?” Gladio tried to sound calm, but even he sounded a bit off after hearing what Ignis has told him. “Just in case Prompto isn’t off his rockers.”

“Well I do need someone to drive,” Ignis managed a laugh, hearing Gladio let out a chuckle in response. 

And that’s there they were, trying to keep a level head about the situation. Ignis could tell by the way the car shifted that Gladio was getting impatient, probably driving faster than they needed to be. Ignis felt the need to tell him to slow down, but he too wanted to get there as fast as possible. The longer this took, the more antsy he got. He tried not to shift in his seat too much, even with the car jerking every now and again. Gladio always was a bit of a reckless driver.

When he felt the car come to a stop and heard the engine turn off, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He heard Gladio open his door and step out, Ignis doing the same and shutting the door behind him. He managed to get over to Prompto’s front door, Gladio behind him as he knocked firmly on the door. There was a bit of shuffling, and voices talking behind the door. Ignis could barely make them out, but there was one that was definitely Prompto, and another that was much too soft for him to distinguish any words. 

The door finally opened, and Ignis heard a soft breath of relief from in front of him. “Oh, you’re here,” Prompto breathed out, voice a bit gravelly. Ignis could tell he’s been crying, as his tone only got that way when he used up his voice. The way he heard Prompto sniffle also proved his point, and ultimately felt bad for the man. This must have really messed him up.

“Where’s the kid?” Gladio spoke up from behind him. Ignis turned his head to his direction in an attempt to scold him, but he too was impatient to meet whoever had caused Prompto to sound so stressed. He heard Prompto shuffle, probably to move out of the way to let them inside. 

“He’s on the couch,” Prompto mumbled, and Ignis cautiously stepped inside, Gladio right behind him. He made his way over to where he remembered the couch was, able to hear the the TV playing what sounded like a kid’s show. Gladio grunted from beside him, from what seemed like out of surprise. He also heard shuffling from the couch, probably from whoever was sitting there.

“Who are they?” A soft voice questioned, and Ignis’ breath hitched. He’d recognize that voice anywhere, even after so long. He tried to keep his expression neutral, as to listen more to what this child sounded like. 

“They’re my friends,” Prompto spoke as he moved back over to the couch. “They came to see you.”

“See me?” The boy spoke again, and Ignis had to resist the urge not to leap at the boy. “Why would they wanna do that?”

“Well for starters, you look like someone who should be dead,” Gladiolus blatantly spoke, crossing his arms over his chest. The boy blinked up at his, obviously confused.

“Gladio,” Ignis hissed out, elbowing him in the side. “Don’t be so rash.”

“Iggy,” Gladio gruffed out. “He looks  _ exactly _ like him.” 

“I know right?” Prompto breathed, sitting back down on the couch.

“I look like who?” The boy asked, shifting a bit in discomfort.

Ignis could hear how uncomfortable they were making him, so he knelt down in front of him, putting on a gentle face. “I apologize if we have scared you, but you have a resemblance to someone we once knew. It caught us a bit… off guard,” Ignis tried to contain the shakiness in his voice. “But enough of that, what’s your name?”

The boy looked down, and said softly, “I don’t know…”

“You… don’t know you own name?” Gladio asked with a bit of disbelief, Prompto sharing the same look.

“I don’t remember… I don’t think anyone gave me one…” He mumbled, looking down at his lap. 

“Nonsense,” Ignis waved off. “Everyone has a name. Do you remember who your parent are?”

“Nu-uh…” He spoke again. “I don’t know anything about myself, honestly.”

“This is crazy…” Gladio rubbed a hand over his face, trying to ease his growing headache. 

“Yeah… maybe this is some kind of amnesia?” Prompto offered, trying to wrap his head around the situation. 

“This severe?” Ignis questioned, turning to Prompto. “Though that might honestly be the case…”

“Um,” The boy started, trying to think back. “You said I looked like someone you knew, who do I look like?”

The room went silent, save for the background noise of the television. The boy studied each of the men’s faces, seeing hints of sadness in all of their eyes. He suddenly felt bad about asking his question, until Prompto spoke up again. 

“Noct…” He mumbled, looking down at his lap. The boy turned to him, listening intently. “He… was our friend. One who we’ve all known for a long time. He meant a lot to us,” Prompto sounded as if he would burst into tears at any moment, but he managed to speak through it. “He was a bit reckless, all things considered, but his heart was in the right place. He was also a bit lazy, and is the deepest sleeper I’ve ever known,” Prompto chuckled at the thought. “He cared deeply for his friends, and would do anything for them. He was selfless, like that.”

The boy blinked in amusement, eyes shining a bit as Prompto described the man to him. He seemed amazing, doing so much for the people he cared for, and then some. He also seemed like a very good friend, one who you know you can count on. The more Prompto spoke about him, the more the boy felt some sort of connection to him. He didn’t know how, but he felt as if him and Noctis were connected in a way.

When Prompto finished, he couldn’t help but smile at all of the things he told him. He had scooted closer in an attempt to get more immersed into the stories, so he looked up at Prompto and told him what was on his mind. “Do you uh…” He took a moment to think, then spoke, “Do you think I’m related to Noctis?”

He could hear the way Prompto’s breath hitched at the question, and Ignis made a small noise from behind him. He sunk back a bit, suddenly ashamed he asked such a question. “Honestly…” Prompto started, looking at him with a soft smile. “I think you are.”

“Prompto, we shouldn’t make any assumptions,” Ignis reminded him, though he honestly didn’t know if he wanted that to be the truth or not. The thought of this child being related to Noctis by blood, it was a bit much, if not far fetched. “Besides, it’s impossible for him to be related to Noct.”

“While that may be true, how can we explain the fact the kid looked exactly like him?” Gladio pitched in. 

They sat there in silence again, each of them trying to think of some sort of reason as to why he does. The boy pursed his lips, then spoke again. “Maybe… Maybe I  _ am _ Noctis.”

The three men turned looked at him, all in their own fits of shock. It seemed they hadn’t thought of that sort of reason. Why would they? The very idea was preposterous. The boy looked at them fairly confident however, truly believing in his statement.

“You… think you’re Noct,” Gladio repeated, a bit dumbfounded. 

“Well how else would you explain it?” The boy huffed. “I don’t know anything about myself, but I still feel like…something weird when I think about Noctis. Like he’s… I dunno,” He couldn’t seem to put what he felt into words. 

“Do you feel… connected?” Prompto asked, and the boy’s eyes lit up at that. 

“Yeah, I think that’s the word,” He said with a smile. 

Prompto couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. He’s still a kid, after all. Still has that sort of childish charm to him. He thought it was adorable. He cast a glance over to Ignis, who he noticed had a soft smile. When he looked at Gladio, he also noticed he had a fond look in his eyes. 

A yawn had caught his attention, and he looked to see that the boy was rubbing his eyes. He looked tired, now that Prompto had taken a good look. It was getting late, after how long it took for Ignis and Gladio to come. He sighed softly, and offered a smile. “Tired?”

“Mm,” He hummed, leaning against Prompto and resting his head on his shoulder. Prompto made a soft noise in the back of his throat, but still smiled. “You can sleep in my bed, I’d feel bad if I made you sleep on the couch.”

Prompto shuffled him gently to the side so he could stand, waiting for the boy to follow. He instead looked at Prompto sleepily, raising his arms up to him. Prompto blinked, and when he heard Gladio chuckle from behind him, he made a soft ‘oh’ sound and laughed. He lifted the boy up, and he immediately wrapped himself around Prompto, and the blonde man had to resist the urge to squeak.

He nodded to Gladio to excuse himself as he carried the tired boy to his room, nudging the door open with his foot and gently setting him down on his bed. He was about to walk out when he felt the boy’s small hand grab his pant leg, as if he didn’t wanna leave. Prompto laughed awkwardly, and gave him another smile. “I’ll be right back okay? Just gotta talk to them a bit more.”

The boy reluctantly let go of the blonde and watched him leave the bedroom, leaving the door open a bit. He could hear them talking, but he couldn’t make out what they said. Instead he closed his eyes, pulling the blankets close to him and drifting off to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you enjoyed reading, I'd love to hear what you guys think ^^ Seriously though your kudos mean so much to me ahaha.
> 
> Next chapter is gonna get right down to the angst, so be prepared for that hehehe~


	3. Those Cries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG, I've been busy with a few things and hadn't had the chance to write for this. I didn't wanna take any shortcuts with this so I wrote down all that I had in store. Either way, hope you enjoy!

Noctis… why did that name mean so much to him? He felt, just like Prompto said, connected to it. Connected to  _ him _ . Was he really Noctis? Is that who he used to be? He didn’t even remember who he is now, let alone who he was. No matter how hard he tried to think back, it was all a blank. Just… nothing. 

It made him so frustrated, how he couldn’t remember anything. He knew there had to be something, something for him to remember. But it never came to him. Perhaps if he did remember, he’d be able to figure out who he really is. 

Though, even through the blankness, he thought he was able to feel how it was back then. He thought he felt happiness, then sadness, and then loneliness. So, so much loneliness. He must have been alone for a very long time. Maybe that’s why he was so attached to Prompto.

He realized right then, that there was something he did remember. A couple of hours prior to him meeting the blonde man, of how he came to know where to find him. It was still a blurry thought, like it happened so long ago. He remembered meeting a woman, who had call for him. She had given him the letter, and told him to go to the place that was on it. When he questioned it, she had simply told her that the person there would take care of her. He was naive, and curious at that. So he decided to trust the woman, and seek out that address. 

That’s how he ended up at Prompto’s doorstep, it seemed. Still, if it happened fairly recently, why couldn’t he remember it? How come his head felt so… blank? He couldn’t understand, no matter how hard he tried to. He decided to give up on it, seeing as it wasn’t getting him anywhere. Maybe he should talk to Prompto about it next morning…

Suddenly, as if he was being jerked back, he found himself in what seemed to be a dream. It took him a moment to recollect himself, trying to decipher what was going on around him. He was in a field, from what it looked like. And there was fire all around him. Why was everything on fire? It wasn’t until he looked down that his body turned ice cold. 

He was surrounded by blood, covering his arm and part of his shirt. There was a woman beside him, who was also bloody. But from the way she wasn’t moving, it looked like she was dead. He lifted his hand up, watching blood drip down his hand and into the pool beneath him. He then heard shuffling, turning his head to find the source. 

His face paled when he looked up and saw a giant daemon looming above him. It looked like a woman, but she had six arms, and the body of a snake. It leered down at him, head tilting to the side as he raised its arms up, the blades in its hands glinting from the surrounding fire. He wanted to scream, he tried to hard to, but he couldn’t find his voice. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make a sound.

He felt himself starting to black out, his vision starting to turn blurry. He could faintly recognize the sound of fighting, the scream of that daemon, and the sound of someone calling out his name. It was too much, too much to have to deal with. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry. He was trying so hard, trying to find his voice, trying to hear it over the overwhelming feeling. 

Suddenly it all turned silent, and he was finally able to hear himself. The cry of fear and pain he so desperately wanted to let out was finally ripped from his throat. He suddenly felt like he didn’t know where he was anymore, it was just dark. He screamed and cried, wanting someone, anyone to get him out of this. He tried flailing around, the feeling of being trapped making him even more scared. Tears poured from his eyes, soaking his face as he wailed desperately.

He thought he heard what woulded like a door being shoved open, someone rushing over to him and gentle hands grabbing his shoulders as they cried out. He started to calm down a bit, then tried to open his eyes again. He found that he wasn’t in that field anymore, or in that dark empty place, but Prompto’s bedroom. Speaking of him, he was sitting beside of him, hands on his shoulders and a distressed look on his face. He looked down and realized he was still in his bed, and he wasn’t covered in blood or anything. 

“Prompto..?” Noctis looked back up at the blonde man, eyes filling with tears again. That must have been a dream, he realized, but it was such a scary dream. And it felt so real, like he was there.

“I’m here…” Prompto said carefully, not wanting to frighten the young boy. He had awoken in the middle of the night, hearing him scream and cry from the other room. When he rushed in after falling off the couch, he saw that he was flailing around in his bed, face full of tears. Instincts kicked in at that moment and he rushed up and tried to calm him down from whatever nightmare he was having. It looked like he had woken up, but he could tell he was still shaken up from whatever nightmare he had been in.

“P-Prom…” Noctis mumbled again, hiccuping before leaping up into Prompto’s chest, releasing another wail as he clung tightly to them. Prompto looked down, eyes wide with shock for a moment before that look turned to pity. He gently wrapped his arms around Noctis, pulling him close in an attempt to comfort him.

Noctis cries grew louder, babbling out incoherently as he tried to explain his nightmare. It was so  _ scary _ , he kept saying, the spot where he had rested his head on Prompto’s chest wet with tears. Prompto didn’t seem to mind though, trying his best to decipher what Noctis was trying to tell him. He got some of it, he had hoped. Though from how it sounded it must have been a terrifying dream for someone as young as him. But what made his blood really turn cold was the fact that he had dreamt about the monster that almost took Noctis’s life. 

Did part of him memory return to him? Prompto couldn’t tell for sure, since he wasn’t there when Noct was first attacked. But he was there when they killed the monster once and for all, and from what he remember the daemon from Noctis’ nightmare sounded a lot like the one from back then. And if that was the case, then this really  _ was _ Noctis. I mean, how else would he have been able to explain this? It was too late for this, Prompto decided. Maybe he should talk about it with Ignis tomorrow.

Noctis seemed to have started to calm down, after listening to Prompto hum a comforting tune. He nuzzled into his chest more, sniffling as he started to relax into his arms. When Prompto made the move to lay Noctis back down, he whined loudly, clinging onto his arms. Prompto blinked, staring into Noct’s soft blue eyes as he realized he wanted him to sleep with him. His face turned a bit pink, maneuvering himself so he could pull the covers over both of them. Noctis made a soft humming sound, relaxing back into Prompto’s chest. 

Prompto sighed fondly, unable to hide his smile as he looked down at Noctis. It felt a bit weird, since he’s never shared his bed with anyone, let alone his best friend. But he was a kid now, so it was fine right? Prompto still couldn’t believe Noctis was actually back, after all this time. It was like a dream come true, as cliche as that sounds. Prompto had half of a mind to believe that this really was a dream, and he’d wake up the next morning all alone. Even so, he doesn’t think he’ll forget how much Noctis cried after that nightmare. It made his heart ache just thinking about it.

He looked back down at the young boy, who was fast asleep against Prompto’s chest. He smiled again, mumbling out a soft, “Goodnight,” before closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep himself. 

Noctis didn’t have another nightmare that night. 

\-----

The next morning, Noctis’ eyes fluttered open as the sun shone in through the gaps of the window blinds. He rubbed his sore eyes, still a bit irritated after last night. Looking around, he sat up and realized Prompto wasn’t in bed with him anymore. A brief moment of panic coarsed through him, however once he caught the brief whiff of something cooking, his fear was put to rest as he scooted out of bed and wobbled out of the bedroom. 

Noctis stepped into the living room, and wrinkled his nose at the scent of something burning. He poked his head into the kitchen, blinking at the sight. Prompto was standing over the stove, brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to cook something in a pan. Noctis tried standing on his toes to see what it was, unable to peer over the counter due to his height. He huffed, alerting Prompto of his presence. “Oh, you’re awake!” He turned back to give Noctis a smile. “I’m almost done, I figured I’d make something for breakfast. But I’m gonna warn you my cooking isn’t the best.”

Noctis hummed and nodded his head, deciding to go and sit on the couch and watch TV while he waited. Prompto was nice, he thought. He was very glad whoever that lady was sent him here. He wanted to stay with Prompto, Noctis decided. Maybe he’ll be able to learn more about himself. He’d already learned so much about them last night, and all of it seemed very exciting. The Noctis in the past was a really cool person, and he wondered if he’d ever be a cool as him. 

Noctis was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Prompto walking out of the kitchen, a plate in each of his hands. He sat down next to the young boy, offering one to him. “Sorry if it tastes bad, I usually don’t cook but I was too tired to go out and buy something.”

Noctis felt a bit guilty after hearing that, wondering if his tiredness was from his outburst last night. However his worried were set aside when he took the plate from the man. It was a plate of slightly burnt pancakes, with a bit of syrup drizzled over it. He cut off a piece and took a bite, blinking at how it actually tasted pretty alright. There was a bit of a burnt taste to it but the syrup sorta drowned it out so it wasn’t that bad.

“It’s not bad,” Noctis spoke softly, taking another bite. 

Prompto blinked at him, like he was shocked to hear that. “Wait, seriously?” He took a bite for himself, nose wrinkling a bit before his eyebrows shot up. “Oh wow, these are the best pancakes I’ve ever made.”

Noctis looked at him curiously. “Do you not know how to cook?”

“Ehh I do, I’m just not very good at it,” Prompto admitted. “Iggy was the one who usually did the cooking back in the day.”

“The way you said that makes you sound old,” Noctis said, and Prompto couldn’t help but snort at that.

“Hey I only just turned thirty! I’m still pretty young,” Prompto laughed, wiping the syrup off his mouth with a napkin he grabbed.

“Thirty is still old,” Noctis spoke as if he was right, and Prompto made exaggerated gasp and put his hand over his chest.

“Really?” Prompto said dramatically, then turned to look at his lap. “All this time I thought I was young, but I’m… I’m…” He cried out dramatically, “An old man!”

Prompto blinked when he heard laughter come from beside him, looking down to see that Noctis had bursted out laughing at his overreaction. Prompto’s chest warmed up, realizing this was the first time he’s laughed. Growing up, Prompto remembered that Noctis rarely ever laughed as a kid, even if he didn’t talk to him that much. So hearing it now, it made him feel happy.

“You’re so funny!” Noctis said in between giggles, eyes shining a bit.

“I try,” Prompto says triumphantly, always proud of his ability to make people laugh.

As they continues to eat and watch TV, Prompto soon realized that he’s never been this talkative in years. Usually he’d only exchange a few sentences in a conversation, and that was only with people he knew. Even if Noctis was now a child, along with seemingly having no memories whatsoever, they got along to the point to where it was like they’ve known each other forever. Prompto has said this to himself many times before, but he was thankful to whoever sent Noctis his way.

Speaking of, Prompto realized he still needed to find out who it was that send him to his home. And how in the world they got his address, it still made him feel a bit freaked out. So as he was finishing the last of his pancakes, Prompto turned to Noctis, who was almost done with his. “Say, I know you said you don’t remember much, but do you remember who sent you to me?”

Noctis swallowed the bite he had in his mouth, eyebrows shooting up. “Oh yeah! I was talk to you about that,” He thought for a moment, lips pursing as he did. “I feel like I should but… It’s just really fuzzy. I don’t remember what she looked like.”

“Man, I wonder what happened to you,” Prompto spoke softly, pondering to himself. “This kinda amnesia isn’t exactly normal…”

“Oh!” Prompto jumped when Noctis suddenly exclaimed. “I just remembered something!”

“You did?” Prompto said a bit too excitedly. “What is it?”

“Um… It’s not much but,” Noctis looked up at Prompto. “I remember the lady had blonde hair.”

Prompto leaned back, eyes focused to the ground in thought. Blonde hair huh? Well that doesn’t really help much. With how many refugees from Tenebrae and Niflheim have come to Insomnia over the years, blonde hair has been becoming more and more common to see. Even so, Prompto didn’t know of anyone with blonde hair who’d send a child to his doorstep. Prompto made a humming sound, growing a bit frustrated. “Is that all you remember?”

“Yeah… Sorry,” Noctis sounded ashamed of himself, like he should have something more to say.  

Prompto simpled sighed, giving him a soft smile and a pat on the back. “Hey don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’ll come back to you eventually.”

Prompto patiently waited for Noctis to finish his food, then grabbed both of their empty plates and took them back to the kitchen to be washed. “Oh yeah, I have a few things I need to do at the citadel today…” Prompto spoke mostly to himself, setting the plates in the sing and began washing them. “Should I bring him with me? I feel like that would cause an uproar though… But I can’t leave a kid alone by himself…”

A light bulb went off in Prompto’s head. “Oh! I’ll ask Iris to watch him! She’s been doing a lot of community work lately but I’m sure she’ll come down to help me,” Prompto dried off the plates and set them back into the cabinet, huffing triumphantly before turning back to walk to the living room. “Hey do you mind if I…”

Prompto’s words got lost when he noticed that Noctis had left his spot on the couch, and was standing over the dresser that was beside the TV. He had something in his hand, and Prompto walked over to peer over and see what it was. His breath hitched, realizing that he was holding one of the pictures he took over ten years ago. 

And not just any picture. It was the picture they took together in front of the Regalia right before they left Hammerhead. 

How Noctis managed to find this picture, he doesn’t know. He had it put into a folder with all his old pictures, since he doesn’t have any frames to put them in. Besides, whenever he looks at them, his heart aches. He got tired of feeling that way, so he simply put them away. But somehow Noctis managed to find  _ this _ one out of all of them.

“Is that…” Noctis started, voice soft. Prompto couldn’t see his face, so he had no idea what his reaction was. “..me?”

Prompto knew he was referring to the Noctis in the photo, and now that he saw him again, he realized that the resemblance between them was uncanny. “...Yeah.”

Noctis stared at the photo for a bit longer, then mumbled, “I looked like a girl.”

Prompto had to hold in a laugh, hand over his mouth. “Y-Yeah Noct did look kinda feminine back then.”

Noctis blinked up at Prompto, then turned back to the picture. “Is this what I’m gonna look like when I’m older?”

Prompto moved his hand away, taken aback by the sudden question. “I… honestly don’t know.”

Noctis hummed, before putting the picture back into the folder, looking up at Prompto again. It looked like he didn’t know what to say, simply standing there watching him.

Prompto cleared his throat, getting a sudden fit of anxiety now that they were silent. His eyes wandered, anywhere except to the young boy at his waist. His eyes landed on the digital clock on the wall, eyes widening at the time. “Oh dang I gotta get ready.”

“Ready for what?” Noctis asked, watching Prompto rush over to his bedroom with a curious look.

“I gotta go help at the citadel!” Prompto called, throwing on his kingsglaive attire. As he was putting his boots on he realized he still needed to call Iris. “Oh right!” 

Prompto hopped out of his room, still in the middle of putting his shoe on as he wobbled over to his phone. He quickly scrolled through his contacts, tapping one as he straightened himself out. He heard it ring a few times, before he heard a voice on the other line.

“Hey Iris? I got a favor to ask.”


End file.
